Lessons Learned
by cate's corner
Summary: A multi-chapter tag to 1.11 Paradise. Sometimes the ends justifies the means. Sometimes it doesn't. Has Steve overstepped the mark this time? Steve/Danny friendship
1. Chapter 1 When Worlds Collide

To be honest, I wasn't sure if I should write this story or not. I mean, the bickering between Steve and Danny is such fun to watch, and isn't meant to be taken too seriously. But the plot bunny for this story has been nagging at me so much that I've decided to go for it.

It's set during Paradise, and centres around the argument that the boys have on the cliff. Even though it achieved its aim of distracting Matinsky enough for Steve to take him down, I felt so sorry for Danny. He was trying so hard to use his training and experience to talk Matinsky down peacefully, and Steve just didn't take him seriously.

So this is the first chapter of a multi part story, as my idea on how Danny might have reacted, and why he didn't appear in the final scene back at the Palace. That's explained in the final chapter - and don't worry, there _is_ a happy ending! But for now, as Steve is about to discover, there's trouble in paradise. Danny's been angry with him before, of course - but he's _never_ been as angry as this!

Lessons Learned - Chapter One

When Worlds Collide

Steve McGarrett hated paperwork, almost as much as the terrorists that he'd been trained to pursue. It was bad enough at the best of times, but after the death of a suspect, it was even worse. So when he stared down at Matinsky's body, his heart didn't sink with regret, or any kind of remorse.

He'd killed several innocent women. He deserved no pity. He'd get none from Steve McGarrett.

But the paperwork was _still_ going to be hell.

Still, that the best thing about being the boss. It meant that he could delegate such tedious tasks. If he avoided it for long enough, he knew Danny would get so fed up that he'd finally do it himself. Despite his partner's constant protests, it had worked like a charm in the past, and… uh-oh. As he turned away from the cliff to return to his friend, Steve realized it _wasn_'_t_ going to work today.

Still cradling Kristen protectively against him, Danny finally raised his head and looked towards him – and Steve had seen that thunderous expression enough times to know where its anger was heading.

But why? Kristen was safe, Matinsky was dead, the case was closed, and… oh, _hell_. Oh, _crap_.

Yes, they'd saved the day, _again_, without innocent bloodshed. But the ends didn't justify the means. He could see its cost now, in Danny's eyes, as he rose to his feet, still holding Kristen against him.

Mocking his attempts to talk Matinsky down had hurt him. It had hurt him a _hell_ of a lot.

Before Steve could say anything, though, either to explain or apologise, Danny strode past him – focussing all his attention on the woman who still clung to him as if her life depended on it.

"Easy now, it's okay, you're safe now. It's all over now, everything's going to be okay."

For Kristen, maybe. Her ordeal was over, and… yes, thank God, she and her husband _would_ be okay. As an ex husband himself, Danny was already making the call that Elliot Clark would be praying for.

But as he followed them to the car, Steve knew this happy ending had come at a painful cost – another attempt to apologise pointedly ignored as Danny helped Kristin into the back seat. Settling in beside her, still refusing to meet Steve's eyes, he'd made his feelings perfectly clear.

He was livid. Furious. And for Steve, it was going to be a long and lonely ride back into town.

With no-one to talk to this time around, he had to settle for self conversation instead – giving himself the furious lecture that he wished would come from his ominously silent partner.

The safe release of a threatened hostage needed special training. Patience and compassion. Years of often traumatic experience. Skills that Danny had, but _he_ didn't.

You tried to find a connection. Common ground to work on, even if it brought back painful memories. As Steve now sadly realized, the common ground that Danny had tried to establish with Matinsky had done just that.

'_I know what_ _it_'_s_ _like to have someone you love walk away from you._'

He'd needed back-up then. Support. _Anything_, in fact, except the response that Steve had given him. Kristen, too, must have wondered what the hell was happening as they'd stood and yelled at each other, arguing about the best way to rescue her.

For Chin, Kono, and everyone else who knew them, this was par for the course, but – no, as he studied Danny's face in the rear view mirror, Steve knew this time was different. Until now, their bickering had stayed behind a mutually respected line. Today he'd crossed it.

He'd humiliated his partner in the worst possible way. Thrown years of experience and expertise back in his face, and - damn it, Danny had every right to be angry. Steve just hoped he'd calm down enough for him to repair the damage before they left for home.

By the time they returned to the Hikina, those hopes for reconciliation still seemed unlikely.

Yes, there was a slight smile on Danny's face as Kristen flew into her anxious husband's arms – shrugging in modest embarrassment while they'd thanked him in a whirl of hugs and handshakes. But when Steve stepped awkwardly forward to receive his share of their gratitude, his heart sank. Danny moved away from him, maintaining a distance between them that, if anything, now felt even wider.

And just as he'd expected, the drive back to the heliport was every bit as bad as Steve had feared. It passed in silence. Complete and worrying silence.

Even when Danny finally broke it, the frustration in his voice did little to ease Steve's worry, or his conscience.

"Sometimes, just _sometimes_… for once, I… I just wish you'd respect what I'm good at."

Staring back at him, but not daring to reply, Steve just nodded as he followed him into the chopper – a raised hand warning him that anything he _did_ say would be a waste of breath, and a waste of time.

Instead, shaking his head in frustration, Steve settled into his seat and strapped himself in. He'd screwed up, _big _time. Danny was more angry with him than he'd ever been before. And as Kauai fell away beneath them, he had no idea how to repair the damage.


	2. Chapter 2 When Fates Intervene

I know when I started this story that I said it would just be two chapters. But the more I read through my second chapter, the less I liked it. So I've taken the story in a slightly different direction to what I had planned, and that means there'll be three chapters now. With all these plot bunnies running around, there might even be four!

For this chapter, though, Steve and Danny have some _serious_ talking to do. I hope you enjoy it, and thank you to everyone who have reviewed this story for me. I really appreciate the encouragement.

Lessons Learned – Chapter Two

When Fates Intervene

Peace offerings came in many forms. Some were accepted with forgiveness, others flatly refused. As he strode to the waiting Camaro, Steve just hoped the small bag in his hand would rebuild the bridges that he'd so stupidly destroyed. If it didn't… no. Already watching for Danny's reaction, Steve told himself that _wasn_'_t_ an option.

Then again, Danny looked as tired as he did. He'd clearly had a lousy night too, fretting over yesterday's regrettable events. It was an oddly comforting sign. So was the fact that, despite that, and everything that had caused it, he'd still come to drive him to work. Add that to the curiosity with which he studied the bag in his hand, and… yeah, this looked promising.

"I… uh… brought breakfast," he explained, setting the bag onto the dashboard between them – encouraged enough by a quizzically raised eyebrow to push the bag a little bit further onto Danny's side.

Five seconds passed. Five became ten. Then, at last, the glare softened into the faintest hint of a grin. And while his reply still dripped with sarcasm, the smile on his face still fractionally widened.

"You think you can buy me with _that_?"

Risking a tentative grin in return, Steve grabbed this vital breakthrough with two _very_ grateful hands

"Well, there's two, so you can… uh… have mine."

Both eyebrows went up now, followed by the most wonderful eye-roll that Steve had ever seen. More precious than any of that, though, was the hand that now slid into the bag, and the smile that accepted what it represented.

"You're such an idiot sometimes," Danny shot back through a mouthful of crumbling malasada – the stark truth beyond his words giving Steve the only chance he needed to quietly face it.

"Yeah, Danny, I know. And I'm sorry. I should have trusted your judgement yesterday, and…"

"…so why didn't you?" Danny cut in, completely serious too now as he turned to face him. "Steve, I've been a cop for nearly fifteen years! I'd like to think that, by now, I know what I'm doing!"

"Yeah, Danny, I know that too," Steve conceded through a resigned nod of agreement – still watching his friend as Danny checked for a break in traffic before slipping smoothly into it.

He was a lot calmer than he'd expected, but he could still sense the frustration beneath. Not just from yesterday either, but for all the other times when he'd ignored Danny's opinion. Those opinions, however loudly and extravagantly he made them, still counted. They came from years of experience. The same experience that he kept stupidly dismissing.

It was that same experience that had made him make Danny his partner. He needed that crucial knowledge to help balance his own. Despite its many parallels, police work was still worlds away from life in the military. It was a minefield of protocols and legalities. You needed an expert to guide you safely through it.

He had the best expert that he'd ever find, right here, and… yeah, from now on, he'd have the sense to trust him.

"But I'm not a cop, Danny. I might be head of this task force, but I'm _not_ a cop," he said at last – meeting startled eyes with a slight smile, and the honesty that, he hoped, Danny could still recognize. "I'm a SEAL who's trying to learn how to _be_ a cop, and… damn it, Danno, it isn't easy."

"No, it isn't," Danny agreed just as quietly, with more understanding than Steve knew he deserved. Or maybe he just recognized that, as he was a fish out of water when it came to Hawaii, Steve was just the same when it came to police work.

Yes, he'd made a mistake yesterday, but at least he was trying to apologize for it. However angry he'd been, Danny still respected him for that. So when he spoke again, it was softly and gently, without any of the resentment that Steve had expected.

"I know you're used to getting results, by whatever means, but… see, sometimes you can't do that! Yes, we've both been trained to catch the bad guys, but being a cop means dealing with victims too. People who are hurt, and scared, and too traumatized to tell you what they genuinely can't remember."

"Like Erica Harris," Steve offered, with the grateful smile of the newly enlightened.

"Like Erica Harris," Danny nodded, with the saintly patience of the constantly exasperated. When he retired from the force, Steve proudly reflected, he'd make one hell of a teacher. He certainly had _this_ pupil's attention.

"You need to stop treating those victims like criminals, Steve, and learn to _listen_ to them instead. Just as you need to learn when to leave them to heal."

A pause for the lesson to sink in, before Danny ended it, as only Danny Williams ever could.

"So stop being such a knuckleheaded Neanderthal, and let me teach you what you need to know to lead this team. Okay?"

He was smiling again now. So was Steve, as that bag of bridge-building breakfast was nudged towards him.

"Okay, rule one of being a cop. You gotta learn to eat like one."

Okay, he'd have to work it off tonight, with an extra long swim, but… hell, right now, he didn't care. Whatever it did to his cholesterol levels, he'd _never_ get such a precious invitation as this.

Settling back into his seat, Steve took a hearty bite out of his malasada, and smiled in pure contentment. He was sharing breakfast with his partner, the sun was warm on his face, Danny was wearing his favourite tie, and all was now right in _both_ of their worlds. Even with Bon Jovi assaulting his eardrums, it was a precious moment of recognition and reconciliation between them.

Sadly fate now ruined it, in a blur of actions and reactions that no other fates could control – screeching brakes, the sickening crash of impacting metal, and a curse of horrified disbelief.

"Son of a _bitch_!"


	3. Chapter 3 When Heroes Rise

Hm, I gave you all a bit of a scare at the end of that last chapter, didn't I? Sorry about that - and sorry in advance for what happens at the end of this one :o)

Lessons Learned – Chapter Three

When Heroes Rise

It had happened so fast. So completely out of the blue that neither of them had seen it coming. If not for reflexes that lifted Danny Williams into superhero status, they'd have been caught in it too – flattened by the rig that had ploughed into a tour bus, at such speed that it had flipped it onto its side, and spun it clear across the street.

Instead he'd hit the brakes, so hard that he was sure his feet had gone straight through the floorboards onto the asphalt beyond. Visions of Fred Flintstone peddling his car through Bedrock flashed through his mind.

For several seconds, it was hard to tell what was shaking the most – the Camaro or its horrified driver. Then adrenalin and instincts kicked back in, and Danny reached instinctively under the dashboard. Grabbing a first aid kit with one hand, he slapped two switches on the dash-panel with the other – out of the car, and running towards the carnage in front of them, before the lights hit full sequence and the sirens hit full volume.

Steve was already at his heels, his longer strides compensating for the few seconds head-start that Danny had over him – needing no prompts this time to call for the backup that, so often, fell solely to his partner.

As screams for help rose from the wreckage, Steve knew they'd need all the backup they could get.

"This is McGarrett, 5-0. Code three, North King and Smith. Code three, _all_ units, to this location!"

Horrified witnesses had called for help too, since he could already hear the distant wail of sirens. He knew that vital backup was just minutes away, but… well, some people couldn't wait that long. Even without the threat of fire, there'd still be casualties, especially after an impact like that.

Just as he'd known he would, Danny had already taken charge of the mission to rescue them. Despite the chaos around them, that stand-out Jersey accent was unmistakeable. It had demanded help. Judging by the flurry of movement around him, he'd already found two vital volunteers.

"You're both doctors? Okay, doc one, can _you_ handle triage here? Great, thank you… okay, doc number two, let's get into that bus."

Not for the first time, and surely not the last, Steve thanked the world's gods for Danny Williams. If anyone could take charge of such a traumatic situation, it was going to be him – leading that second doctor, and a small army of rescuers, towards that bus as if he'd been born to it.

He was the first one to check studiously for safety before crawling through its shattered window – and Steve already knew he'd check every last millimetre of that bus, several times over, before he crawled out again.

'_First one into the fray_, _the last one out._ Y_eah_, _that_'_s_ _my Danno._'

Running instinctively to join him, Steve then hesitated, and reluctantly thought better of it. The rest of Danny's team had followed him now, and with all the traumatic mess of wreckage they'd be facing in there – hell, the last thing they needed was a six foot two inch SEAL taking up what little room they had left.

Besides, he had his own mission to see to. One that filled him with a rush of conflicting emotions. Although he hadn't seen what had caused the accident, there were plenty of others who had – their fury focussing now, with dangerously rising intensity, on the rig that had caused such carnage.

"…damn idiot ran a red light!"

"…he was swerving too, all over the road. He's gotta be drunk."

"…he'll be dead when I get hold of him. Damn courts, they never lock 'em up long enough."

Running hard to head them off, Steve eyed the approaching crowd with mounting dismay. Damn, this was getting ugly. As if things weren't bad enough, now he had a lynch mob on his hands.

Back in the SEALS, he'd just fire a few warning shots over their heads, but… no, that option was out. The kids that he could now see being led to safety were traumatized enough, without him adding to it. And if he did anything so stupid as firing his gun in front of them… well, then he'd have Danny to deal with. That alone was deterrent enough.

Besides, the HPD units and fire crews were arriving now, a fleet of ambulances close behind – just in time too, Steve noted, gratefully watching several officers and firefighters run towards him.

Another rescue team swarmed towards the bus, joining the human chain of rescuers and first aiders that had clustered around it. He could see the doctors from Danny's team too now, including the one who'd followed him into it.

Still no Danny, though. Still no sign of that unmistakeable mop of sun-streaked hair.

Not that he was worried. The rescue operation was in full swing now, running like clockwork. But then two voices, one in warning, the other in frantic panic, turned that operation on its head, and turned Steve McGarrett's blood to ice.

"We've got fire!"

"Megan! Oh God, my daughter! Where's my daughter? God, no, she's still in there!"

_Now_ Steve felt a surge of panic as he stared towards the bus, and the hive of fresh movement around it. He could smell the smoke now. See it rising into an ominous cloud. His heart clenched in horror.

The bus was on fire. Two people were still trapped inside it. And one of them was Danny.


	4. Chapter 4 When Hope Survives

Okay, I promise I'm finished with the cliffies now - and apologies for scaring the heebies out of you for two chapters running. You'll be glad to hear that both Steve and Danny are fine - and Steve is about to discover one of Danny's secret skills. I know a lot has been said about how Danny talks with his hands, and I wanted to show that in a slightly different way.

I hope you enjoy this latest chapter, and thank you for all your kind reviews. They have all been much appreciated!

Lessons Learned - Chapter Four

When Hope Survives

Towering height, reputation, and a glare that could peel paint off walls _definitely_ had its advantages. Steve had used every one of those advantages to 'persuade' the fire chief that, yes, he _was_ aware of the risks. Yes, he knew he was crazy. Yes, he was disobeying advice. Yes, he knew the fire that had been mercifully extinguished could still flare up again, at any time.

But there wasn't a force on this planet that was going to stop him from crawling into that bus.

"My partner's in there," he'd growled, in the tone that not even Danny dared to argue with. The fire chief had tried, of course, but… well, it had been a short, emphatically one sided contest.

"I'm going in."

That was that. Argument over. Left with no choice in the matter, the chief just watched him go. He'd heard that Steve McGarrett, ex Navy SEAL and now head of 5-0, was certifiably insane. Now he knew why.

So why the hell was he smiling, like the proudest father, as six foot two of scowling muscle strode past him? The lad deserved his reputation, for sure. Just as he deserved the respect from one hero to another.

That hero was more nervous than he looked, though, as he peered through smashed windows into hellishly tangled metal. Damn, this was bad. _Really_ bad. Seats, restraints and piles of luggage lay in heaps ahead of him.

More to the point that had his heart hammering against his chest, where the hell was Danny?

Right on cue, a tousled blond head popped up from what had once been a row of metal seats – the eyes in a grease-smudged face widening in surprise, then brightening with relief.

"Hey, SuperSEAL! What kept you?"

Before Steve could retaliate, or pull any kind of face back at him, Danny waved to the team behind him.

"We're gonna need cutters here, guys. I've got a little girl here, she's pinned pretty badly."

And then he was gone again, returning to the task that would always be his topmost priority. Any case that involved a child, especially one that was threatened or hurt, kicked Danny's fatherhood instincts into hyperdrive. He had the soothing 'everything's gonna be okay now' voice down to a fine art, and – okay, so why couldn't Steve hear it?

Panicking now that Danny was hurt, and was too damn stubborn to admit it '_Repeat_ _after me_, _Danno_. _Pot. Kettle_. _Black_', Steve scrambled over the last few seats to reach him - his worry as to why he couldn't hear his friend changing to startled surprise when he saw him, and realized why.

For as along as he'd known him, Danny had _always_ talked with his hands. But _never_ like this.

Instead of the extravagant gestures that he normally used to make his point, every movement here was measured. Precise. Falling into a pattern of lifts, curves and fingertaps.

He was also face to face with a young girl, around Grace's age, who followed every one of them – the pain and fear that she had to be feeling soothed away by what those gestures represented.

Steve understood them too now, humbled by their significance as he knelt at Danny's side.

'_My God_, _she_'_s_ – _she_'_s_ _deaf_! _And_ _Danny_'_s_ _signing to her._'

Not just signing, but smiling too, using both his voice _and_ his hands to make the introductions.

\_Megan_, _this is Steve_, _my partner. H__e_'_s_ _gonna help me get you out of here_, _okay_?/

Huge brown eyes stared up at him, and Steve felt his heart turn to jelly by the trust he saw within them. She was beautiful, just like Gracie, and - okay, why the hell was Danny grinning like that? Whatever Megan had just signed to him had reduced his partner to fits of helpless laughter, and – yeah, Steve dryly reflected, he kinda knew where this private joke between them was heading.

\_Yeah, baby_, _I know_ _he_'_s_ _big and scary. But he_'_s_ _still pretty_ _nice. M__y_ _daughter likes him too_/

That last part was high praise indeed, especially to a frightened and impressionable child. She already had one new hero in her life. Now she had another with the same gently kind eyes.

"That's right, honey, we're gonna get you out of here real soon," Steve assured her – turning away to point at the rescue team that had joined them, only to turn immediately back again. That jerking tug on his pants leg demanded attention – and it was too close to the ground to be Danny's.

But then as Danny explained, in dual time translation, he'd committed an all too common mistake when faced with a person who couldn't hear him.

\_I_ _can_'_t_ _read_ _what_ _you_'_re_ _saying if I can_'_t_ _see your face_/

Mortified by his own ignorance, Steve threw a helpless glance towards his gently smiling partner – watching Danny's right hand trace a circle over his heart while he mouthed its hearing equivalent.

\_Sorry_/

Copying his example, if rather more awkwardly, Steve watched anxiously for Megan's reaction. A bright-eyed smile said 'thank you' in every language, whether you could understand it or not.

Danny looked pretty impressed too – but that was nothing against the pride that Steve now felt for him. That pride was almost bursting out of his face now as he watched Danny turn back to Megan – signing everything that the rescue team were going to do to rescue her so that she knew what was happening, and wouldn't be scared by it.

When this was all over, he'd tell him that. He'd give his partner the praise that was long overdue. But for now he squeezed Danny's shoulder, returning a startled smile with a grin that said it all.

'_Way to go_, _Danno._'


	5. Chapter 5 When Worlds Unite

Well, I think the plot bunnies have finally worn themselves out. This will definitely be the last chapter for a story that was only meant to have two! But it's still been a pleasure to write those unplanned chapters, and thank you so much for your kind reviews.

I said in my first author's note that I was going to include my thoughts on why Danny didn't appear in the final scene of the episode. Well, this is what my plot bunnies came up with. We've had the angst, the drama, and the odd cliffie. Now it's time for Danny to get some well earned rest, and for Steve to reflect on what he's learned.

Thank you again, and I hope to be back here soon.

Lessons Learned – Chapter Five

When Worlds Unite

If he had the chance, Steve McGarrett would find the nearest bunk, and gladly nosedive into it. Normally, of course, he could work the day around, and still have the energy to overthrow a corrupt government, but – well, for so many reasons, today's rollercoaster of events had left him physically, and emotionally, drained.

Until he'd called Chin, to update him on what had happened, Steve hadn't realized just how much those events had affected him. His third in command sounded unusually worried.

"You sure you're okay, boss? We've been watching the newsfeed here, and that bus is a mess!"

"I'm fine, Chin. I'm just waiting for Danny, then we'll be on our way in."

Breaking the connection, Steve then flexed his neck, rubbing away the tension around it. And if _he_ was tired, he knew the same would go tenfold for Danny, who'd surely be exhausted by now, and… hm, maybe not. Aside from a crumpled shirt, a crooked tie that, of course, he now fastidiously straightened, and some minor cuts on his hands, he was as bouncily chirpy as ever.

Having run the gauntlet of backslaps from the various rescue teams, he now faced another – accepting the hugs and handshakes from Megan's overjoyed parents with a fellow parent's natural tolerance.

It must be a Jersey thing, Steve thought dryly, watching him lead them to where their daughter now lay on a gurney. There were times when he was sure his Jersey boy ate batteries for breakfast. He just kept going, and going, and going.

More seriously, he knew that Danny Williams didn't do anything by halves. He wouldn't leave this scene until he'd checked, then double checked, then triple checked, that Megan and her family were recovered enough from their ordeal to allow him to do so. Even when her gurney was finally rolled towards a waiting ambulance, Danny was right there beside it, smiling down at her. Reassuring her all the way.

Or maybe he was still on such a rush of adrenalin that he just _couldn_'_t_ relax, however much he tried – its inevitable consequence leading Steve to make a mental note for how to deal with that adrenalin-crash when it finally hit. A full coolbox of beer, and a few cosy blankets for another of their now regular 'debriefs' on the beach.

In that respect, he knew Danny Williams so well, but in others – hell, he was still totally clueless. What other talents did his friend have, that he didn't know about? With Danny, of course, the possibilities were endless.

Steve knew how to be a friend, though. Knew that, one way or another, he had to help Danny to wind down after such a stressful situation.

As the paramedics continued to treat Megan's injuries, it gave Steve the perfect chance to lead him gently away – far enough for them to talk in private, but still close enough that he could still see the little girl that he'd risked his life to save. He knew that talking would coax Danny into doing the same. That, in turn, would release the tension inside him.

It would also satisfy his own curiosity, and answer the question that he finally had the time to ask.

"So where did you learn to sign?" he asked at last, settling himself next to his friend on the ambulance stoop – noting that the tiredness he could see lurking in Danny's eyes was also starting to creep into his voice.

"Back in Jersey. One of the kids at Gracie's school was deaf, and… well, her parents wanted her to have as normal a life as possible," he replied through a weary smile, easing out kinks of stiffness from his neck and shoulders, before leaning against the door behind them. "I'd picked up some basics at the Academy too. My sergeant was an interpreter, both for signing and lipreading, so… well, as Grace learned to sign for Sarah, so did I."

Yep, should have guessed, Steve reflected through a proudly wry smile. Everything in Danny's life revolved around his precious Gracie.

"So you can lipread too?" he finally continued, pressing a bottle of water into his partner's hand – tagging another wry afterthought to his 'to do' list as Danny nodded through several reviving mouthfuls.

'_From now on_, _Steven_, _be _really _careful with what you say._'

Wise words, of course, but advice that would be impossible for him to follow with Danny around – especially when the door beside them swung fully open, and a small bandaged hand waved for him to come inside.

Less than ten seconds after making that resolution, Steve found himself helplessly breaking it.

"Hey, Danno, I think you've found a new girlfriend," he grinned, gently nudging Danny's shoulder – unable to resist the follow-up that would make his life hell until Danny's tiredness finally caught up with him, and he crashed in mid-rant.

"She's smart, and cute. Not too tall for you either."

Exhaustion or no exhaustion, there was no way, in hell, that Danny was going to let _that_ one go. Rising stiffly to his feet, he then leant down – and growled two words that were music to Steve's ears.

"Bite me."

The insult might have worked, of course, if he hadn't been grinning so much, and as for Steve – well, as he ruefully knew, once that smirk appeared on SuperSEAL's face, it stayed there for _hours_.

So it was a real surprise when he returned a few minutes later, his duties complete, and found a broad smile there instead – a grin that widened as Steve draped a brotherly arm over his shoulders and led him back to the car.

"Okay, SuperDanno, here's what we're going to do for the rest of today," he said at last, using the same tone he'd used with the fire chief, and so happy that Danny was too tired to argue.

"_I_'_m_ going to drive you home, so you can get showered, cleaned up and changed, and get some rest. Then _you_'_re_ going to make an early start to your weekend with Gracie. Okay?"

It was a measure of how tired Danny was that his only protest was a single raised eyebrow. Or maybe he just knew, as he always freakily did, what his partner was thinking before he said it – agreeing that he'd been enough of a detective already today, and needed to be a father for the rest of it.

He needed sleep too, his eyes closing as soon as his head settled back against the seat behind it – giving Steve the rare and perfect chance to study him, without interruption, as he drove him gently home.

He'd learned more about his partner in this single day than… well, in the last six months combined. Now, more than he'd ever done before, he appreciated Danny's compassion. His affinity for helping people that formed so much of his character. His ability to forgive the people who failed to recognize it.

He just hoped that Nancy and Erica Harris could settle their differences, and forgive each other as easily. If they couldn't… well, Steve's smile now proudly widened as he glanced back at his sleeping partner.

If they couldn't, or wouldn't, he knew the perfect person to show them the way, and teach them the fine art of humanity.


End file.
